The Dharma in Difficult Times

by Stephen Cope

The sequel to the bestseller The Great Work of Your Life shows us the way through our darkest times to our truest calling.

How do we make sense of our lives when our world seems to be falling apart?
This beautifully written guide from scholar and teacher Stephen Cope shows that crises don’t have to derail us from our purpose—they can actually help us to find our purpose and step forward as our best selves.

In this sequel to his best-loved book, The Great Work of Your Life, Cope again takes the ancient yogic text the Bhagavad Gita—the epic narrative of the warrior Arjuna’s odyssey of self-discovery—as a roadmap for our journey to our own true calling. Then he builds on that foundation using the stories and teachings of famous figures, as well as stories of ordinary people and his own rich personal experience. Along the way, we find striking examples for finding meaning and purpose in our

In the spirit of Pema Chödrön’s When Things Fall Apart, this book is required reading when you find yourself forging a path through crisis—or seeking a way through your darkest times to your truest self.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Psychology, Philosophy

Paperback

About the author

Stephen Cope is the director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living, the largest yoga research institute in the Western world—with a team of scientists affiliated with major medical schools on the East coast, primarily Harvard Medical School. He has been for many years the senior scholar in residence at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts, and is the author of four best-selling books.

Reviews

[Wrenn Nicodemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the actual book, but I didn't like the blank book cover that Goodreads provided--so I'm using the Kindle edition.

[Brian Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Cope is an excellent writer and I greatly appreciate that he has used real life examples in this book in order to illustrate concepts that are contained in the Bhagavad Gita. I read The Great Work of Your Life a few years ago, which tempted me to read the Gita, but I was unable to finish it. This book, about dharma during difficult times, has reinvigorated my desire to get through the Gita.

I thought it was very interning how Cope used slavery and those individuals (Gandhi, Thoreau, Stowe, Lowell, Truth, Anderson, Daniels and Sales) who sought to end it to illustrate the very concepts continent in the Gita. All of the stories were fascinating and the lessons that were illustrated were well thought out and instructive.

I read this book because I had some recent health challenges that forced me into different patterns and behaviors that were puzzling at first. But reading this booked helped put my thoughts and feelings into a perspective that helped me process what I was thinking and doing in response to the challenges. Very helpful indeed.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this book took forever to read - very slow pace at times, even if it's quite interesting. He compares different individuals in history who are resistance leaders at various times, and compares it to the Gita. At the beginning, he pegs Arjuna as 20 years old which I knew wasn't correct, so it made me a bit unsure the rest of the book. His big focus is - sticking to your dharma, and these are people who do it periodically throughout history.

[Nicole Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book; I really enjoyed the last of his that I read. I loved the idea of this type of story-sharing & weaving in the Gita, but something didn’t work for me.

[Haticenur Aydın · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book while on a walk to cope with my depression of grief of my dearest dogs death. It helped not totally but it did

[Seema Hegde · Rating 1 out of 5]

waste of time

First chapters were interesting. Repackaged spiritual material but in a non engaging manner, some boring personal anecdotes , to late to get refunded.